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Resources
- Search Engines
To
complete this resource page, I took a closer look at web
search engines. In a world where time is of the essence,
it is important to access information quickly and
efficiently. Although most web searches seem similar,
there are some striking differences. Knowing which
search engine to use when completing a task can help
save you time and energy. During this investigation, I
explored three major types of engines; general,
multi-threaded, and categorical. Each time, I used the
key phrase “animal habitats". The findings of my
investigation are explained
here.
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- Evaluation Tool
In order to locate the most the valuable web resources, I
completed a site evaluation tool (SET). To see an example of
a SET that I completed for a Discovery Learning site click
here.
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Web Resources
Below, you will find a list of web resources. These sites
were located using two different types of search engines. Although I
am most familiar with general search engines, such as
Google and
HotBot, I found some great resources by utilizing
Search which is a categorical search engine. For each
search, I used similar keywords, including phrases such as
animal habitats, biomes, and adaptations. Details on how I
reached the site are included with each web resource.
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This site is part of the
GlaxoSmithKline’s “Active Science” project. The home
page for this project includes links to a variety of
learning modules. I chose to explore the section on
animal habitats. From the main habitat page, I was able
to access links to games for each major habitat,
including deserts, ponds, and rainforests. Once you
click on a habitat, an interactive game session begins.
For each response (correct or incorrect) the site
provides immediate feedback as well as an explanation of
the correct answer. It even keeps score for you!
Although the website was created for use in England (and
correlates with the National Curriculum for England and
Wales), the information is completely relevant to our
national and state standards. There is also a helpful
section of the site for parent and teacher information.
Overall, the site was very easy to navigate. Students
would truly enjoy participating in these interactive
games. Plus, it would serve as a great review!
This site was located by searching
“animal habitats” in Google. It was listed as the third
site of about 400,000 results.
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This National Geographic website
offers an overview of the major animal habitats. Backed
with the National Geographic name, I was pleased to
discover that site met my high expectations. The first
thing I noticed was the navigation bar on the left side
of the screen. Since this bar was fixed on each screen,
it made it easy to travel back and forth between
habitats. I also appreciated the “cities and suburbs”
link because many students do not include such urban
locations as habitats for animals. I was happy to see
that each habitat link included a great description as
well as an online photo gallery. In addition, there were
links to activities and games as well as lesson plans
for teachers. I envision using this site as means to
research the different types of habitats. I can’t wait
for students to check out some of the amazing
photographs! What a great find!
Again, I searched using the terms
“animal habitats” but this time I used HotBot. With the
visual search feature (available with lyGO), I was able
to scroll through pages quickly and efficiently. I found
this site on the third page of results.
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This site includes a scavenger hunt
activity that would be great to do during a unit on
animals. It not only combines what they know about
habitats, students would also get to investigate some
very interesting animals. Some of the animals include a
lemur, yak, pangolin, and a dugong. Each animal is
linked to a webpage with a description and a picture. In
the first paragraph, the author describes an activity in
which students are to fold a piece of paper, creating 16
small squares (one for each habitat listed on this
site). Using the animal links, they are supposed to
determine where each animal lives, filling in the boxes
as they research. I think this would be a great way to
involve students in the research process. Without even
knowing how much they are learning about animals and
habitats, they would have a blast! This resource could
also be used as a research site for an animal report.
This site was located by entering
the key words “animal habitats” at Search. It was listed
first with about 143,030 total results.
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This site is authored by Linda
Mosbacker and is considered a resource for the Utah
Education Network. The introduction of the site includes
an explanation of animal adaptations which is followed
by a several activities for students to complete. I
enjoyed the scavenger hunt aspects of the site. In order
to answer the questions in each activity, students had
to visit the related link. I especially liked that each
of the links were appropriate for students. As I went
through some of the activities I found that it was easy
to locate the information on the kid-friendly sites.
Often, when children (and some adults) view a web page,
they take in the overall effect of the site but not
always the details and information that it provides.
With this activity, students are compelled to take a
closer look at these interesting sites and actually
record their learning. I was also impressed by the fact
that all of the links were active, and the layout of the
site was easy to follow. I can’t wait to use this
scavenger hunt in my own classroom! I know that the
students will have a valuable (and fun) learning
experience.
To access this site, I entered the
terms “animal adaptations” at Google. It was listed as
the first result out of about 320,000.
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This site is authored by the
Missouri Botanical Garden. The home page of this site
displays each of the major habitats (or biomes) of the
world. By clicking on one of the habitat pictures, I was
able to find a multitude of information pertaining to
that habitat. For example, when I selected Rainforest, I
found an overall introduction, information about the
different types of rainforests, the plants and animals
that live there, and some amazing pictures and video
clips from actual students. No matter what habitat I
selected, I was able to locate a variety of information
and links to other resources. Students would find this
site easy to use since there is a fixed navigation bar
located on the top of every page. This comprehensive
site is great for student research as well as teaching
content knowledge. I can envision using this site in my
classroom, especially during our study of animals and
their homes.
Again, I used Search but this time
I entered “biomes” as my key word. It was listed ninth
of about 67,320 total results.
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